Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Balky Tim

Starting pitcher:
JC Parsons

Damn, Tim's perfect season is over...

I am not the type to blame a loss on an umpire's call. After all, if the game is that close, any number of things must have contributed to the outcome. Obviously, in this case there is a whole boatload of baserunning gaffes (Winn, Lewis and Velez) and untimely hitting. Also, although Tim pitched ANOTHER solid outing, he did some of those things that we all knew might catch up to him: too many base runners. Tim kept us in the game and, if not for mid game replacement Chris Iannetta, he probably should have won. With our offense ( and tendency to make booboos), we will lose quite a few games just like last night. Well, maybe not EXACTLY like last night...

About that balk....

There was a balk. The umpire got the call right. He did it wrong - calling time first, then the balk - but I agree that there was a balk. It was, however, NOT TIM"S FAULT. Bengie Molina screwed the pooch. Rewatch the video. Molina "requests" time and springs up immediately, without waiting for the ump to grant it. Tim has to step off, BECAUSE HE HAS NO ONE TO THROW TO, and the umpire then called the balk. If Tim had not been in the full windup, this doesn't happen. Bengie must have forgot that there was a runner at third... a bonehead move by a savy veteran. All the ump's comments about Tim "flinching" is crap and just his way to cover the slop job he did.

You may not agree with my interpretation, but remember, if you argue about a balk, it is an automatic ejection (ask Bochy) so watch what you say!

6 comments:

The radio guys were all over the ump, claiming he'd called 'time' and then called the balk after Lincecum hesitated. But I'll take your view of it, JCP, I have no problem with blaming El Gamerino instead of our studly young ace. As we all know, Veteran Savvy is highly over-rated. Winn's baserunning blooper was just as bad as Lewis' and Velez' were. He has no excuse--they are the rookies, they are going to screw up now and then. I thought Tim pitched really well despite the 8 hits. I was confident he was going to get out of the jam (runner on 3rd, 1 out) and then, boom, the balk, and he was screwed. He'd only thrown 86 pitches through 7 IP but he had to get pinch-hit for in the bottom of the inning. It paid off, too, with Winn's double, but Mr. Experience had an ADHD attack and ran into an out.

What everybody forgets is that a balk is a "dead ball" foul. Therefore "time" is always called as a balk is called. Just like a foul ball, first the ump throws his hands straight up (signaling time), then the call is made. (In the case of a balk, they usually point at the pitcher and then the runner, which is what Darling did.)The ump blew it by yelling time first, but that was AFTER Molina and Tim had already messed up.

Brother Bob:Definitely a team loss. Lincecum was good enough. It was the offense that was weak- way too many blown opportunities.More good work out of the bullpen. This is clearly the biggest upgrade over last year's team. I wonder how much work Ziro will actually get. We have a surplus of lefty relievers, and the other guys are probably way better than him.(Yeah "Ziro" was deliberate. How's that for a new nickname?)

I don't pay a lot of attention, but there was an interesting development in Mariner-land today. Brad Wilkerson & Greg Norton were DFA'd, to make room for BOTH players mentioned by Mark in his November 26, 2007 post, Jeff Clement & Wladimir Balentien (as featured in Mark's proposed 'Lowry and RHP Brad Hennessey to Mariners for C Jeff Clement and OF Wladimir Balentien'). Balentien just got his first MLB hit, an infield single. Was Mark on to something?

Ebenezer Garbanzo suspended for 50 games? What a blow that is. How bizarre, too. I see no reason whatsoever to keep him around after this - he was very marginal anyway. Perhaps he can feature for the Guerreros.

Those pesky Giants are hovering at a quasi-respectable "in sight of .500," not collapsing below the dreaded .400 as we anticipated. Oh, what to do? Do I now have to LIKE Aaron "Captain Gamer" Rowand and his ilk?